Write Of Way

Written Musings on Writing

Monday, March 31, 2003

So here's a question that I have been pondering lately. If I have proposals out for book one and have great ideas for book two is it okay for me to actively pursue book two? Wow, that sounds a lot like a question to be posed to Penthouse! Not that I have ever read letters printed in Penthouse, but several years ago someone did give me a collection of Penthouse letters when I was teaching a class on pornography and feminist theory. I keep that in my office just to remind myself that "Everything is Rhetoric" :-)

posted by Dr. B. 11:09 AM

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Saturday, March 29, 2003

Blind reviews are the strangest things. So much of what we feel about what we read (feel in an intellectual way, I suppose) is tied up in any other number of things. I recently sent a piece off to an unnamed journal for review and the reviews that I got back were amusing to say the least! The first one said that this was the worst piece of drivel that they had ever read and that it should immediately be used to train puppies while the other one said is was fascinating, useful, necessary, and the best thing that they had ever read. And here I am using very similar language to what was used in the review. :-)

I wonder if I would have been as amused say 5 years ago when I was a graduate student? The first reviewers comments were downright mean and I wonder if I would have had the guts to actually revise and resubmit (as was suggested by the editor) if I had not yet developed a pretty thick skin when it comes to reviewers. Heck, I may not have even seen the 2nd review, I may have stopped reading all together. I know that I will be being closer attention to reviews that I write!

posted by Dr. B. 12:50 PM

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Slooowwllyy things are getting done. I have been sneaking in a bit of network theory here and there when I can. I have such a brilliant idea for a new book (now if I can only find out if someone is gonna take the first one) but I am gonna hold off on unveiling it until the ideas and book chapters are fully formulated.

As far as the dissertation readings are going...I am finished with everything except the complete diss (no surprise there, eh?) I really plan to get that done this weekend so that I can get back to my own work.

posted by Dr. B. 12:37 PM

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Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Well, I did end up finishing my 2nd paper before leaving for NYC so I had tons of time to play in the Big Apple. I talked to a lot of interesting people, ate a lot of good food, drank a little, and had a lot of fun in general.

And then....I came home. The work piled on my desk (left unsupervised) REPRODUCED! What ever happened to theoretical contraception? That had to be the shortest gestational period known to many as it seems to have created at least 2 or 3 generations in my absence. So for the moment I have no time to write, I have 2 dissertation chapters (2 different people) and an entire dissertation to read ASAP! Oh well, no rest for the wicked.

posted by Dr. B. 4:57 PM

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Wednesday, March 12, 2003

It's 10 to 4 and I have to be up in 4 hours, but I have about 80-90% of my PowerPoint presentation done for my CCCC workshop!
I don't know if I'm kinda loopy right now or what, but there seem to be an awful lot of numbers in this post!
GOOD NIGHT!!

posted by Dr. B. 3:53 AM

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Today I finally finished Gaiman's American Gods. Yes, I know that I have a conference to prepare for and a sh*tload of other stuff to do, but I only had 100 pages left so I went for it!

American Gods was one of the best books that I have read in a good long while. It was very much the "trippy" drugged hitchhiker ride that I have heard it described as, but only in the most positive on senses :-). The mythological allusion throughout added so much to the text! But at the same time I wonder if the text would have seemed as rich to me if I did not have the same knowledge of ancient mythologies and religions.

The idea of the book itself intrigued me from the beginning and I was expecting a wild ride of some sort, but nothing of this caliber. This book made me think about gods, goddesses, and religious rituals in an all new way. While you may have moments when you think that you know exactly what is going on your bubble will soon be burst because this book is so full of twists and turns that you will empathize with the protagonist most of the time! This one is definitely a must read!

Ok, aside from the I finished a proposal for a conference, read and commented on 2 articles for my writing group tomorrow, and thought briefly about my CCCCs presentations (very briefly). I have promised myself that I will dedicate all my waking time from now until next Monday to getting ready for CCCCs so that my time in NY can best be spent partying, ummm, I meaning learning and networking, yes, that's it. So tomorrow begins the journey of 1000 presentations (okay so its only two but it feels like 1000!)

posted by Dr. B. 1:05 AM

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Wednesday, March 05, 2003

Not writing a lot right now. Doing a lot of reading in preperation for C's. Looking forward to the Big Apple! Ok, maybe not. I would like to have a vacation that didn't involve work.

posted by Dr. B. 11:57 PM

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